The Power of Education

What if I told you there was something that could do all of the following?

• Increase your lifespan. 
• Increase the income for yourself and those around you. 
• Decrease your risk of contracting myriad diseases.
• Grant you access to more countries in the world. 
• Promote gender equality. 

And so much more... The list goes on and on. The positive effects of higher education for an individual are amazing, even more so for an educated society/country. 

Yet with all of the advantages education provides, so much of the world is denied that opportunity. It's a tough problem to fix too. When we see a malnourished child we are triggered and emotionally invested, then in turn we can quickly and easily feed this child. If we see a child that doesn't go to school, we think little of it; Despite the fact that the child is much more likely to die of starvation or a preventable disease as they age because they have missed out on the knowledge they could have had. I'm not saying we shouldn't feed malnourished children, that is an important and urgent need. But we should take it a step further and look at the entire life of this person, recognizing that as they grow  one of the best gifts we can give them is an education. 

Today we had our Back To School party for our School Support kids. The ministry I work with pays the price for these children to go to school, along with the cost for uniforms, backpacks, notebooks, shoes, pencils, pens, etc... Seeing the kids faces when they received these items was such an honor, it felt like Christmas morning. If these kids can stick through it, their quality of life will be dramatically increased because of what this organization is doing. Not only that, but the leaders also encouraged the parents about keeping their children in school when times are tough. This is so important in the developing world, where children are frequently sent to work to pay the family bills. 

Today reminded me once again of all the amazing things happening in the world. It reminded me that hope is not lost, that the world really is becoming a better place. Today over 40 children's lives were changed, and they will continue to be a positive change in their community. This is exciting, folks. It's only getting better.